THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A section of the research scholars of M G University, belonging to Scheduled Castes, are left in the lurch as they have not received fellowships for the past five months, allegedly due to the lethargy of the officials concerned.
The fellowships have to be claimed every month by the departments of the Universities under which the scholars are doing research.
The claims have to be forwarded to the district office of the Scheduled Castes Development Department from where it should be sent to Scheduled Castes Development Corporation (SCDC).
The SCDC in turn will credit the money to the bank account of each student. But more than 50 research scholars, PhD as well as M Phil scholars, of MGU had not been receiving fellowships from May this year as procedure was not followed.
“When we contacted the district office of the Scheduled Castes Development Department, we were informed that the claim was forwarded to the Scheduled Castes Development Corporation. When we contacted the Corporation, we were told that the delay was from the part of the district office. The delay in disbursing the fellowships is usual due to the attitude of the officials. But this was the first time that the fellowships were blocked continuously for a long time,” a PhD scholar of School of Letters of M G University told Express, on the condition of anonymity.
It had been pointed out that e-grant system was introduced after 2011 to avoid such delays.